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NEED
SOME BUSINESS ASSISTANCE from Local Resources?
1)
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Small Business Center (RCCC)- www.rccc.edu,
1333 Jake
Alexander Blvd, Salisbury, (704) 637-0760 Have an idea for starting a
small business and just don’t know how to get started? Are you
in the process of writing a business plan and need someone to review
your progress? Confused as to the proper entity you should
be or just want to kick some ideas around and get feedback? The
Small Business Center at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College is part of
the Community College System's Statewide Small Business Center
Network. Business counseling is available by appointment to assist
with business plan preparation and for advice on accounting and
record-keeping, sales and marketing, business start-up, business
regulations, and more. On the second Tuesday of each month a
representative of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College offers a free one
hour business counseling session at the Chamber. The times
available run from 9:30-12:30 p.m. Appointments can be made
through the Chamber of Commerce (704-633-4221) or through the Small
Business Center at RCCC by calling 704-216-7213 (for appointments in
Concord). The Center provides assistance to potential and
existing small business owners in both Rowan and Cabarrus counties as
follows:
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Access
to one of the area's most comprehensive library collections of
technical and business-related references.
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Workshops and seminars on
how to plan and operate a small business effectively.
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Access
to expert faculty and credit courses in entrepreneurship and business
administration.
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Internet access and courses in computer applications.
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Small Business Administration documents.
2)
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Small
Business and Technology Development Center
(SBTDC)
provides in-depth
management counseling and education services designed to help business
owners make better decisions in achieving their business goals. Download the
Starting
a Small Business in NC guide. Counselors
are experienced and knowledgeable advisors that work with businesses,
providing information, guidance and feedback to entrepreneurs.
Counseling includes assistance in financial planning, human resources,
operations, business and strategic planning, feasibility assessment,
advertising and marketing. Basic counseling services are
provided at no charge, as they are funded in part with federal and
state tax dollars. Their Procurement Technical
Assistance Center can also help you with a free counseling session on doing
business with state & federal government
and
potential funding by Angel Investors. Counselors are available
to meet with clients at the Charlotte Regional Center or at your
business. Meetings are scheduled by appointment by calling
704-548-1090 or 919-807-4533, 704-548-1090 x 3346.
3)
Catawba College-
www.catawba.edu
, 2300
W. Innes Street, Salisbury, 704-637-4111-Catawba College’s Corriher
Linn Black Library has one of the areas largest collections of
business related resources. The Catawba College library is the only
local repository for federal documents in the area and the library
catalog can be searched online by clicking here
www.libweb.catawba.edu/.
The Ketner School of Business offers free business counseling services
to students and residents alike.
4) Livingstone College-www.livingstone.edu
,701
W. Monroe Street, Salisbury, 704-216-6000, The
library at Livingstone College has business related periodicals and
business reference materials.
5)
Rowan
Public Library
(RPL) is
a three branch library system with branches in Salisbury, Rockwell and
Landis. One of the area's largest collections of business
related reference and circulating materials are located at library
headquarters in Salisbury. Headquarters is
located 201 W. Fisher St., Salisbury -704-216-8228 and the two other
locations are S. Branch at 920 Kimball Rd., China Grove- 704-216-7727
and 110 Broad St., Rockwell, 704-216-7838. Business
related materials at RPL include reference materials and books for
check-out, electronic databases, business journals, audio books, and
videos. These materials cover a broad range of business related
subject areas including business directories, management, corporation
records, financial reports, stock information, accounting, business
correspondence, statistics, buyer’s guides, marketing, tax and legal
information, planning and proposal writing, small business startup,
and much, much more. The library also provides access to Pro-Net
(SBA’s Procurement Marketing and Access Network), NCLIVE, and offers
Internet and E-mail classes on a regular basis. They also offer
workstations on a reservation or first come-first serve basis with
productivity applications.
Regional
Resources Funding your Business' Needs
The
North
Carolina Department of Commerce is the
state’s main agency for economic development.
Recruitment is supported by
the Small
Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC), which provides
counseling and technical assistance to businesses. Their business
ServiCenter is a statewide centralized clearinghouse for NC entrepreneurs and
business owners to information on services, programs, resources, technical
assistance, state business license and regulatory information and potential
sources of capital. The ServiCenter staff provides individualized
one-on-one consultations to answer questions, resolve issues, identify and
make referrals to appropriate local, regional and statewide service providers.
They assist potential business owners navigate through the start-up
process and provide all forms, applications and guidelines for state
requirements to do business in NC. They work with existing businesses to
provide information and referrals to relevant programs and service providers
to help them through challenging problems & issues as well as growth and
expansion. Call us for a FREE telephone consultation or for more information:
www.nccommerce.comBusinessServices/StartYourBusiness,
919-715-2850.
The
North
Carolina Department of Revenue
provides information for both the general public and tax practitioners on
individual, corporate, property and sale/use taxes. Tax
Forms and Publications can be
browsed and downloaded.
North
Carolina Department of Insurance provides
information on employer and patient obligations and rights.
NC
Investment Tax Credit Program,
NC
Dept. Secretary of State Securities
Division
919-733-3924,
(Provides a credit against state taxes for investments in qualified business
ventures, grantee businesses and NC Enterprise Corporations.)
NC
State Demographics/State Data Center Geographic Information Analysis-
919-733-4131
North
Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development,
Durham, 919-956-8889
Business
Link North Carolina! www.blnc.gov.BLNC, or "blink," is your starting point to
access an extensive network of experts who can help your business succeed,
whether your company is on the Fortune 500 list - or in its start-up phase.
Most services, provided by statewide, state-supported agencies, are available
free of charge; others such as workshops and courses may require a small fee.
To access services in North Carolina, you can: Call BLNC toll-free,
1-800-228-8443, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to talk with one
of the business consultants.
UNCC
Charlotte Ben Craig Center Venture Development,
Charlotte, 704-548-9113. The Ben Craig Center is a non-profit
corporation affiliated with UNCC providing incubation facilities, training
programs and advisory services for the region’s small businesses. The Center
is located on Mallard Creek Road. This activity will eventually be relocated
to the Charlotte Research Institute.
Business
Innovation and Growth Council (BIG): www.bigcouncil.com.
BIG is a membership organization and it's vision,
supported by Inc. Magazine, is to create an intimate community of successful
high growth entrepreneurs (targeting CEOS, founders and executive level in the
Charlotte and regional areas) who share similar challenges; learn best
practices for fast growth companies and benefit from a meaningful and
rewarding peer to peer exchange. Events include expert speakers on raising
capital, Angel Investors and social media strategies.
Interested
in obtaining financing by Angel Investors? Call for free counseling from
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Small
Business and Technology Development Center.
Counselors are available to meet with
clients at the Charlotte Regional Center or at your business. Meetings
are scheduled by appointment by calling 704-548-1090 or 919-807-4533,
704-548-1090 x 3346.
Angel
Investors, funded by the Kaufman Foundation is a program designed to help
Angel Investors (high net worth value) with or without angel investment.
Private seminars are offered for experienced or potential investors in a
"protected environment" without solicitations from service providers
and entrepreneurs looking for financing at many institutions.
Inception
MicroAngel Fund (IMAF)-www.imafcharlotte.com is a member-managed angel capital fund.
The fund seeks to involve a base of successful investors from a wide
variety of professional fields. It enhances wealth creation of its members by
investing dollars as well as time and relationships in early stage, high
quality, and high growth companies in order that those companies achieve
success. Please check into each IMAF to determine its specific location needs.
IMAF Family of Seed Stage Funds effectively targets technology-based companies
at their earliest stage of funding. The investment program coupled with
extensive mentoring, counseling and education assists in guiding the company
through successful development while positioning them to attract additional
funding from larger angel and/or venture capital groups such as Source
Capital. The model is a committed, member-managed angel capital fund designed
to take advantage of the growth in entrepreneurial activity and venture
financing in North Carolina. IMAF
Charlotte investing primarily in the
North Carolina Research Campus and southern region of North Carolina. It is a
part of North Carolina’s Family of Funds and seeks to invest both dollars
and time in seed stage, high growth companies and spin outs from Duke
University , UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Charlotte, UNC Greensboro and the greater
Charlotte area..
IMAF Triad
invests in the Piedmont-Triad area of North Carolina from Wake Forest
University, UNC Greensboro, NC School of the Arts, WSSU and N.C. A&T State
University- www.imaftriad.com
BEFCOR-
www.befcor.com is a nonprofit organization which markets, underwrites and services SBA 504 loans for owner-occupied businesses in N.C. We partner with private commercial lenders to finance up to 90% for commercial real estate and other fixed assets. Befcor was designed as a Certified Development Company (CDC) by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Call us for your commercial financial needs.
Federal Level Resources
Need facts about your industry or community?
Want data on your target market? Go to the Census for all kinds of
factual data. Census data can be used as a basis for analyzing business
risks, identifying areas where your products and services are needed and making
sure you are reaching the right communities in the right way.
Bureau of the Census
offers several guides to its site: search by A to Z subject headings, use a word
search, select a state and county for quick facts, or use the "America Fact
Finder" to create data tables and maps from the bureau's largest data sets.
Please click on these links for business opportunities.
The
U.S.
Department of Commerce promotes the economic health of the nation by
gathering information, facilitating the use of technology, and supporting U.S.
competitiveness in the world marketplace. It is the parent agency for the Bureau
of the Census, the Patent and Trademark Office, the Bureau of Export
Administration, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the National Institute of
Standards and Technology. The department’s
Minority Business
Development Agency provides
business and management support to minority and disadvantaged Americans. Links
enable you to choose the geographical area where you wish to do business and
then locate local MBDA Centers and other minority business resources.
The
U.S. Department of Labor
has a "Laws &
Regs" link to "Small Business Regulatory Compliance Assistance"
and to a "Summary of Laws, Regulations and Technical Assistance"
designed for use by small businesses but containing information useful to all
employers and employees. The department's "Statistics & Data" link
provides easy access to the "Bureau of Labor Statistics Data" site:
click on "News Releases" to view the latest Consumer Price Index
summary.
The
Internal
Revenue Service provides
tax information to businesses of all sizes on what taxes to pay and how to pay
them: Click on the "Small Business Corner" and then the link
"Operating Your Business."
Score
is a free mentoring service-www.score.org/
."Counselors to America's Small Business" also
has a website for women at www.score.org/women/site.These
websites provide interactive tools, mentoring, workshops and articles that can
help entrepreneurs achieve their business dreams. Visitors are encouraged to
complete a simple registration form to take advantage of the full range of
options.
The
U.S.
Business Advisor
is a one-stop electronic link to all the information
and services which government provides to the business community in the areas of
business development, financial assistance, taxes, laws and regulations and
workplace issues.
Federal Grants -The Department of Labor
oversees grant programs focusing on the workforce needs of employers. To keep
apprised of federal grant opportunities, go to
www.grants.gov/.You
can sign up for an e-mail alert announcing grant opportunities. You can also
search by using such keywords as "workforce" or "training,"
or you can search by specific federal agency, such as the Department of
Commerce. Training and development grants may also be available through the
National Science Foundation and the Small Business Administration, among other
groups.
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